South Africa: Walking & Wildlife

Begin the adventure in Johannesburg – Jo’burg or Jozi to those in the know – a dynamic city of history, culture and creativity.

Meet with the group at your designated meeting spot (see the Joining Instructions for more details), then transfer (4hr 45min, not including stops) to Graskop, a town on the edge of the Mpumalanga escarpment.

To break up the journey, we stop regularly to enjoy spectacular scenery and visit the Mac Mac Falls. We also travel through the highest town in South Africa, Belfast (6,465ft/1,970m), and the scenic Long Tom Pass. We also take the opportunity to stock up on supplies such as drinks and snacks.

This evening, we have a welcome briefing at 6pm and then your tour leader ensures a big South African welcome by arranging a group dinner.

Want to explore further? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative.

Today is dedicated to exploring the Panorama Route, a wonderfully scenic driving route of dramatic peaks, indigenous forest, geological marvels and the Blyde River Canyon.

Our tour starts at the Graskop Gorge Lift, a 167ft (51m) ascent into the heart of Afromontane forest. The glass walls provide excellent views over the Drakensberg escarpment. At the top, you can take part in optional activities, such as a thrilling zipline experience or a cliff walkway. After, we embark on a one-hour walk through the forest floor.

Then, we return to the minibus, driving to some of the highlights of the Panorama Route, starting with the stunning views at God’s Window. If we’re lucky, God’s Blanket may be down, a majestic cloud inversion that gives you the feeling of being on top of the world. We also visit the fascinating rock formations at Bourke’s Luck Potholes.

Finally, in the late afternoon, enjoy a short walk to a lookout point, where we can watch the sun set over the Blyde River Canyon.

Continue exploring the beauty of the area around Blyde River Canyon this morning, embarking on a four-hour looping hike that includes the Leopard, Guineafowl and Kadishi Tufa trails.

Along the way, we have further views of Blyde River Canyon, walk through forest and stop at Kadishi tufa waterfall. Most of the trail is on a good path, but there are some sections of small rock steps, roots and a few small stream crossings.

After lunch, board a 10- or 30-seater boat for a guided cruise on the tranquil waters of the Blyde River Dam, surrounded by the Blyde River Canyon, one of the largest canyons in the world. On our 1hr 30min adventure, we glide past towering cliffs, lush greenery and unique rock formations. We also keep an eye out for the abundant wildlife, including plenty of different birds, hippos and crocodiles, and enjoy wonderful views of waterfalls – an unforgettable journey through one of South Africa’s natural wonders.

Finally, we transfer (45 minutes) to a private game reserve in the Greater Kruger area, our base for the next two days.

Start early this morning, transferring (40 minutes) to Hoedspruit, where we meet our specialist guide. It’s then a short drive to Pridelands, a wildlife-rich private reserve that forms part of the Greater Kruger National Park and is open to the Kruger. Here we spend three hours, at least two of these walking while following animal tracks and the rest of the time on an open game drive, searching for the iconic wildlife of Africa. The walk is likely to be around 3mi (5km) but this changes from trip to trip. We walk in the early morning before the heat of the day but it can still get hot in the African Bush. Wear proper walking shoes and trousers (pants).

This afternoon, jump into an open safari vehicle for a game drive in Kruger National Park, home to arguably the greatest variety of animals of any park in Africa, with lions, leopards, elephants, buffalos, black and white rhinos, plus cheetah, giraffes, hippos and many species of antelopes and smaller plains game.

We head into Kruger National Park today, justifiably one of the most famous wildlife parks in the world. It is also one of the oldest, established by the South African president Paul Kruger in 1898.

We game drive (in our vehicle) through the park where we have an excellent chance of seeing a wide variety of wildlife. We arrive at our Kruger camp in the late afternoon just before the camp gates close to maximise our game-viewing chances.

We get up before sunrise for a game drive at, arguably, the best time of day for wildlife-spotting. We return to camp for breakfast and to pack up before moving onto a new country: Eswatini. We leave the park at around lunch time and have a short stop to resupply before crossing the border into Eswatini. We drive (three hours) towards the Malolotja Nature Reserve, where we spend a relaxing evening at our accommodation ready for a long walk tomorrow.

Today we explore the reserve on foot, taking the most picturesque route. We drive around 15 minutes to the start of our walk in Malolotja, enjoying a warm-up walk along a dirt track to the Logwala viewpoint. From here, we have a fairly steep descent to the Malolotja Waterfall viewpoint.

We then have a picnic lunch by a stream and, if the water levels are high enough, a swim. After, we continue on the path, following a contour line, before a short climb brings us to the Silotfwane viewpoint. It’s then back through the beautiful valley, crossing a small stream, back to the Logwala viewpoint and onto the cabins.

More than 280 bird species have been spotted in this reserve, as have many antelope species, zebras and wildebeest. You will have great views and the chance to spot various eagles or even the very rare bald ibis.

Today we head out of Eswatini and back into South Africa. On the way, we visit Swazi Candles, where we can watch the artisans make their candles, plus there’s a tearoom and separate craft market with wood and stone carvings and batiks.

After, we head south through rural Eswatini, before entering South Africa and travelling to St Lucia. This small town is both by the Indian Ocean and by Lake St Lucia and is known for its crocodile and hippo populations (hippos are sometimes seen wandering in town). The lake itself is the largest estuary in Africa and a haven for birds. The proximity to the ocean means it is possible to go swimming and even whale watching (June to November).

Getting up early, we head down to the dock and board a boat on the nearby lake. We spend two hours exploring by boat with an excellent chance of seeing some of the many resident hippos, crocodiles and fish eagles.

We return to our apartments for breakfast and then pack a picnic lunch for the short drive to Cape Vidal, a long stretch of beach along the Indian Ocean. Along the way, we stop at bird hides and there’s a small chance of spotting rhinos. We spend the afternoon relaxing on the beach with a chance to visit Mission Rocks, where turtles sometimes congregate.

Leaving the coast, we head 185mi (300km) to Isandlwana, an isolated hill on which British and Zulu forces fought on 22 January 1879, the second major encounter in the Anglo-Zulu War. Here, we embark on a two-hour walk, exploring the battlefields, seeing the graves and learning more about this bloody moment in history.

Ending at a local village, we then transfer to Rorke’s Drift Museum, which unfolds the tale of the Battle of Rorke’s Drift, in which 140 British Redcoats battles against 4,000 Zulu warriors. We enter the museum building, discovering realistic battle sounds and immersive dioramas, before exploring the wider complex, including a visit to a ridge, where we can gaze over the battlefield.

After our hike, we transfer (one hour) to our lodge for the night.

Continue our journey to the beautiful Royal Natal National Park, known from being home to the distinctive natural Amphitheatre. The Drakensberg is a basalt escarpment forming the border between Kwa-Zulu Natal and Lesotho and continuing into the Free State. It means Dragon Mountains, but the Zulu named it Quuathlamba (the Barrier of Spears) – a more accurate description of the sheer, forbidding, jagged escarpment.

Arriving at the park, we have a one-hour walk with a local guide to see rock art created by the San people hundreds of years ago. Returning to the start point of the walk, we have a picnic lunch, before a 3mi (5km) hike through the Drakensberg foothills to our accommodation. We arrive in the late afternoon, allowing plenty of time to relax this evening.

Today, we follow the Thukela River, past protea trees (the national flower of South Africa as well as the name of their cricket team), indigenous yellow wood forest and mountainous grasslands to the natural Amphitheatre and Tugela Waterfall viewpoint. The walk, which involves some boulder hopping and crossing a dry riverbed close to the end, takes us into the heart of Royal Natal National Park and offers stunning views of the dramatic northern Drakensberg Mountains.

As the bus takes our luggage to our next lodge, we head along trails by foot. The start of our route follows a contour line and takes us via Tiger Falls with excellent views over Royal Natal National Park. From here, we continue to a lookout rock for photographs over the valley, before crossing the Mahai River and making our way to Gudu Bush.

We then arrive at a split in the path and have a choice of two routes up the mountain. Typically, we ascend through a crack and then onto the Bushmen Gate and Witsieshoek. Time permitting, and if the group are fit enough, we take the alternate route to see the Mahai Falls en route to Witsieshoek. Overall, the paths are well maintained and there is a section of short wooden ladders to climb.

In the morning, we drive 9mi (15km) along a poor road to the trek start point at the Sentinel Gate. Upon arrival, we register with the rangers and are joined by a local mountain guide. From here, we trek along the edge of the mountains, possibly chaperoned by mountain baboons or, if we are lucky, by the resident bearded vultures, up to the ladders, which take us to the top (9,515ft/2,900m). We then follow the Thukela River to the edge of the Tugela Falls, the highest waterfall in Africa, and enjoy views across the amphitheatre and our previous day’s route. We then walk back to the vehicle and transfer 9mi (15km) to our lodge. The hike should take about six hours including stopping for lunch.

There is an optional three-hour final morning walk in these wonderful mountains, with a local guide, before driving back to Johannesburg in time for our flight this evening. The trip ends upon arrival in Johannesburg. If you’d like to stay longer, speak to your sales representative to discuss our large range of extension options.

Please note: If you are organising your own flights, these should not be earlier than the group flights due to the distance we need to travel back to the airport.